JPH0650095B2 - Starter device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a starter device for starting an engine mounted on an automobile or the like.

[Problems to be Solved by Prior Art and Invention] Today, even in this type of starter device, there is a strong demand for achieving a lightweight and compact structure without impairing the power up. As a means to do so, the motor shaft and the pinion shaft are arranged on the same axis before and after, and a planetary speed reduction mechanism that allows a large reduction ratio from the motor shaft to the pinion shaft is adopted to increase the radial size of the starter housing. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 6-86 has a structure in which the size is made as small as possible.
No. 0-198372. However, in this model, the output shaft of the planetary reduction mechanism in which the motor shaft is connected to the sun gear is made cylindrical, and the outer circumference of the base end of the central output shaft is spline-fitted to the cylindrical part to form an output shaft. A clutch outer, which is configured to rotate integrally, and which constitutes a one-way rotating clutch, is helically spline-fitted to the central output shaft, and a cylindrical pinion cylindrical shaft to which a pinion gear is fixed is idled to the central output shaft. It is configured to fit into a clutch inner.

However, in this structure, the output shaft of the planetary speed reduction mechanism and the clutch outer of the one-way rotating clutch are arranged side by side in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the central output shaft, and therefore the length must be increased in the axial direction. As a result, there is a problem in that the weight of the starter itself is reduced and the starter itself becomes large, which is disadvantageous in terms of weight.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention has been conceived in view of the above circumstances to provide a starter device capable of eliminating these drawbacks, and a pinion gear is fixed to the starter device. A pinion shaft whose front end is rotatably supported by a housing via a bearing member so as to be rotatable about its axis and axially movable, and a motor shaft arranged in a front-rear relationship so as to be coaxial with the pinion shaft, The tip of the motor shaft on the pinion shaft is the sun gear,
In a starter device comprising a planetary reduction mechanism in which an output shaft for transmitting power to a pinion shaft protrudes, the output shaft is continuous and has a bearing on a center bracket having an outer peripheral surface supported by a housing. The rotatably supported shaft is supported, and the rear end of the pinion shaft is internally fitted to the cylindrical output shaft, and the internally fitted pinion shaft is rotatable about the shaft center and slidable in the axial direction. While supporting the tubular output shaft via bearings, the tip of the outer tubular part is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the flanged part that extends like a collar from the middle part of the pinion shaft so that the tubular output shaft is fitted inside. The clutch outer is a helical spline fit on the outer circumference of the tubular part on the output shaft side, which is fixed by the serration connection and transmits the power from the output shaft to the pinion shaft only in the rotation direction driven by the motor part. And tubular output While the helical spline fitting is prevented from being disengaged by a stopper provided at the tip of the clutch inner, the clutch inner is formed by the pinion shaft side outer cylinder portion, and the output shaft is overlapped on the clutch inner side of the one-way rotating clutch. It is what

According to the present invention, the motor shaft and the pinion shaft are arranged on the same axis, and the present invention can be made lightweight and compact.

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, 1 is a housing of a starter device,
A motor unit 2 is arranged in the housing 1, and 3 is a magnet switch. Reference numeral 4 denotes a deceleration structure constituted by a planetary gear system, in which a motor drive shaft 2a as a sun gear meshes with the planetary gear 4a. The planetary gear 4a revolves around its own axis under the drive of the motor shaft 2a, but in the embodiment, the outer ring gear 4b is made of a synthetic resin material to reduce the weight. . A flange portion of the output shaft 5 is fixed to a support shaft 4d supported by the planet gear 4a via a bearing metal 4c. The output shaft 5 has a tubular shape, and a pinion shaft 6 is fitted therein so as to be concentric with the motor shaft 2a. 7
Is a bearing metal that is integrally fixed to the inner circumference of the output shaft 5, and the outer circumference of the pinion shaft 6 is slidably fitted inside, and 8 is the planetary gear 4
The center bracket 8 is supported by the housing 1 so as to support the removal of a. The center bracket 8 supports the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 5 via a bearing metal 7a so as to be rotatable about its axis. . Moreover, the support position of the bearing metal 7a and the fixed position of the bearing metal 7 overlap each other, so that the pinion shaft 6 is irrespective of its axial movement, as will be described later, the bearing metal 7, the output shaft 5, and the bearing. It is adapted to be supported on the housing 1 side via a metal 7a and a center bracket 8.

A helical spline groove 5a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 5, and the helical spline groove 5a is formed.
The boss portion of the clutch outer 9a that constitutes a one-way rotation clutch (which is set to transmit power in the rotation direction of the motor portion, but cut off power-driven electric power in the rotation direction in the opposite direction) which will be described later. The spline teeth 9b provided on the above are meshed with each other so as to be axially slidably slidable. Further, in this embodiment, one of the convex teeth 9d of the spline tooth 9b is in a toothless state, and a breather (air passage) S that connects the front and rear space chambers that sandwich the helical spline portion in a communicating manner is formed. is doing.

On the other hand, the one-way rotating clutch 9 is formed so as to overlap the tip end side of the output shaft 5. That is, the collar-shaped portion 6a is formed so as to project in the middle portion of the pinion shaft 6, and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 6b is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the collar-shaped portion 6a so that the tip end portion of the output shaft 5 is fitted therein. The front end of the surface is fixed by means of a serration connection.
The tip of the output shaft 5 is deeply loosely fitted in a cylindrical groove formed between the inner peripheral surface of b and the outer peripheral surface of the pinion shaft 6. The outer cylinder portion 6b is connected to the one-way rotating clutch 9
The clutch inner 6b of FIG. 9e
Is a clutch roller, and 9f is a clutch case provided so that the clutch roller 9e and a not-illustrated ammunition for urging the clutch roller 9e do not pop out and fall out. The clutch case 9f is extended to the side of the collar portion 6a. The unidirectional rotary clutch 9 with respect to the pinion shaft 6 is thereby regulated in the axial direction.

The tip of the pinion shaft 6 is rotatably supported by the housing 1 via a bearing 11. The bearing metal 10 is integrally fixed to the inner portion of the bearing 11.
The outer peripheral surface of the pinion shaft 6 is supported on the bearing metal 11 so as to be movable in the axial direction and rotatable about the axial center, and a pinion gear 12 is integrally provided at the tip thereof. In other words, the pinion gear 12 is integrally fixed to the pinion shaft 6 by a fitting coupling method such as a serration coupling. In this case, however, the outer diameter of the gear fitting portion at the tip of the pinion shaft is the pinion gear. It is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of 12.

On the other hand, the tip end of the shift lever 13 having one end attached to the operating shaft 3a of the magnet switch 3 is engaged with the shift groove 9c provided in the clutch outer 9a, and when the key switch (not shown) is in the OFF state. The operating shaft 3a is in a protruding state, and members such as the one-way rotating clutch 9 and the pinion shaft 6 are attached to the housing 1 as shown in FIG.
, And the engagement of the pinion gear 12 with the ring gear 14 on the engine side is released to bring it to the non-starting position. However, the starter switch is operated to turn on the magnet switch 3 to operate the shift lever 13. When the pinion gear 12 is rocked, the pinion gear 12 and the one-way rotating clutch 9 and the pinion shaft 6 are integrally projected and moved forward so that the pinion gear 12 meshes with the ring gear 14 so that the pinion gear 12 comes to a starting position where the engine is started. It is configured. still,
In this case, a stopper 15 for restricting the movement of the pinion shaft 6 is provided at the tip of the output shaft 5. In other words, the stopper 15 is located inside the clutch inner 6b in the non-starting position, but when it reaches the starting position, the stopper 15 comes into contact with the clutch outer 9a so that further movement is restricted. Incidentally, this movement restriction operation can also be performed by the bearing 11 coming into contact with the collar-shaped portion 6a. Further, a waterproof sealing material 16 is provided on the side surface of the pinion gear of the bearing 11 to prevent muddy water from the housing 1.
It prevents it from entering inside.

In the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, when the engine is started as described above, the magnet switch is turned on in accordance with the key switch operation to move the one-way rotating clutch 9 together with the pinion shaft 6 to the front side. Then, the pinion gear 12 is meshed with the ring gear 14, and the driving force from the motor shaft 2a causes the planetary speed reduction mechanism 4, the output shaft 5,
The power is transmitted to the pinion gear 12 via the one-way rotating clutch 9 and the pinion shaft 6, whereby the engine is started.

As described above, although it relates to the starter for starting the engine, the pinion shaft 6 is arranged coaxially with the motor shaft 2a, and the planetary reduction mechanism 4 having the motor shaft 2a as a sun gear.
However, since it is used, it is possible to reduce the size in the radial direction and to make it lightweight and compact.
The tip end side of the pinion shaft 6, which fixes the pinion gear 12, is supported by the housing 1 by bearing members 10 and 11. A waterproof sealing material 16 on the side of the pinion gear 12 of the bearing 11 is provided to surely prevent muddy water from entering the inside, and accordingly, a high degree of waterproofing measure is taken. However, the base end side is also supported by the housing 1 side. That is, the base end side of the pinion shaft 6 is internally fitted to the cylindrical output shaft 5, and the internally fitted output shaft 5 is provided with the housing 7, the output shaft 5, the bearing 7 a, and the center bracket 8 through the housing. It is supported on one side and has a two-point support structure before and after the bearing members 10 and 11. Then, this two-point support structure is maintained as it is even when the starting position is reached. As a result, the pinion shaft 6 receives a reliable two-point support action even when the engine is started, and it is not possible to perform high-precision centering, and the pinion gear 12 and the ring gear 14 mesh with each other. It is possible to reliably prevent a problem in which the pinion shaft is misaligned due to the generated load and the runout of the pinion gear is greatly increased, which is excellent in durability and contributes to high performance in many cases. In addition, the support on the base end side of the pinion shaft 6 is performed via the center bracket 8 in the embodiment, but the bearings 7, 7 provided in the support structure are provided.
With respect to a, the bearing 7 provided between the output shaft 5 and the pinion shaft 6 is fixed to the output shaft 5 side, and even if the pinion shaft 6 moves forward and backward, its supporting position does not change, and its position is Since the bearing 7a provided between the output shaft 5 and the center bracket 8 overlaps, a reliable supporting action can be obtained.

Moreover, in this product, the pinion shaft 6 is concentric with the motor shaft 2a. In this case, the output shaft 5 is formed into a tubular shape, and the base end portion of the pinion shaft 6 is fitted into the inner cylinder. The pinion shaft 6 and the output shaft 5 partially overlap each other, and the pinion shaft 6 is supported through the bearing 7 by utilizing the overlapped portion. In the starter device, the length in the axial direction can be shortened, the device can be effectively made compact, and the support position of the base end side of the pinion shaft 6 can be positioned as close to the end part as possible.

Further, the output shaft 5 is loosely fitted between the clutch inner 6a and the pinion shaft 6 so as to overlap with the clutch inner 6b constituting the one-way rotating clutch 9, and accordingly, the axial length of the starter device is further increased by this amount. The advantage is that the length can be shortened. Moreover, the output shaft 5 and the pinion shaft 6
Since the stopper 15 for preventing the helical spline fitting from being connected in a slidable relationship with the stopper 15 is arranged in the cylindrical groove portion formed between the pinion shaft 6 and the clutch inner 6b, the stopper 15 is further increased by that amount. There is an advantage that it can contribute to shortening the length.

Moreover, in this helical spline portion, one of the convex teeth 9d on the clutch outer 9a side is cut away, and a breather S is formed between the convex tooth bottom surface 5b of the corresponding concave tooth on the output shaft 5 side. As a result, when the pinion shaft 6 moves together with the one-way rotating clutch 9, the helical spline fitting portion is sandwiched between the pinion shaft 6 and the clutch inner 6b so that air can smoothly flow in and out of the cylindrical groove formed between the pinion shaft 6 and the clutch inner 6b. What happens is that the so-called pumping phenomenon disappears, and a smooth and smooth shift can be achieved. However, the formation of the breather S is not limited to the notch of the convex tooth 9d, but can also be formed by deeply cutting the concave tooth.

Further, in the one-way rotating clutch 9, the clutch inner (outer cylinder portion) 6b constituting the clutch inner on the pinion shaft 6 is provided.
Since it is integrally fixed by the serration coupling means, when an irregular overload acts on the pinion shaft 6 side from the engine side or the pinion shaft 6 is bent or shaken,
This is reduced by being absorbed by the serration coupling portion and being transmitted to the clutch outer 9a side. Therefore, in the one-way rotating clutch 9, the clutch outer 9 is rotated.
The misalignment between a and the clutch inner 6a is reduced, so that the one-way rotating clutch 9 can be operated reliably and the durability can be improved. Moreover, in the one-way rotating clutch 9, the clutch case 9f restricts the protrusion of rollers and ammunition in the clutch, but this is further extended to the side of the pinion 6a of the pinion shaft 6 to allow the one-way rotating clutch 9 to move. Since the positional deviation in the axial direction with respect to the pinion shaft 6 is regulated, a dedicated member for regulating the displacement is not necessary, the number of parts is reduced, and it is possible to contribute to weight reduction and compactness.

In addition, this one is for positively shifting to the starting position by the magnet switch 3, but in that case,
The shift lever 13 is engaged with a shift groove (not shown) formed in a shift ring 9c provided integrally with the clutch outer 9a of the one-way rotating clutch 9. Therefore, the clutch outer 9a can also be used as the engaging member of the shift lever 13 to simplify the structure, and it is not necessary to separately secure a space for the shift lever engaging portion in the axial direction. Therefore, the starter device is lightweight and compact. It will also contribute to the realization.

Further, in the pinion shaft 6, the outer diameter of the fastening portion of the pinion gear 12 is smaller than the outer diameter of the pinion gear 12, and the pinion gear 12 can be assembled here by fastening means such as a serration coupling. Therefore, the outer diameter of the mounting portion of the bearing 11 in the pinion shaft 6 can be set regardless of the outer diameter of the pinion gear 12, and accordingly, the degree of freedom in design is expanded and the starter device is reduced in size and weight. You can contribute. Further, since the bearing 11 has a structure in which the bearing metal 10 is fixed to the inner side of the bearing 11 to support the pinion shaft 6, the pinion shaft 6 moves smoothly in the axial direction, and the pinion shaft 6 moves from the ring gear 14 side. It has the advantages that it can withstand loads and can be improved in stability and durability.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and when the engine is started, the magnet switch 3 does not positively shift the pinion shaft 6, but the output shaft 5 rotates. It may be one that is shifted by receiving the accompanying centrifugal force.

Further, in the motor shaft 2a, the tip of the motor shaft 2a can be supported via the output shaft 5. That is, as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the motor shaft 2a is extended and fitted into the cylinder of the output shaft 5, and this is inserted through the bearing metal 17 into the output shaft 5.
The motor shaft 2a is centered with high accuracy, and as a result, when the planetary speed reduction mechanism 4 is provided, the motor shaft 2a serving as the sun gear and the planetary gear 4a are also centered. The output shaft 5 is manufactured with high accuracy, and the burden on the bearing is also high.
Therefore, the planetary speed reduction mechanism 4 can be protected and durability can be improved.

[Effects and Effects] In short, since the present invention is configured as described above, the pinion shaft and the motor shaft are arranged in the same axial core,
Moreover, although the radial size can be minimized by using a planetary speed reduction mechanism that uses the motor shaft as a sun gear to ensure a large reduction ratio, the tip end side is directly attached to the housing by the bearing member, and The ends are supported by the housing via the tubular output shaft and the center bracket, respectively, and receive the front and rear two-point support. As a result, the pinion shaft is supported in the centered state with high accuracy, and even if the load generated by the meshing of the pinion gear and the ring gear at the time of engine start is applied, the pinion shaft is reliably supported by the two-point support action and centered. It will be maintained in a state.

Moreover, the output shaft located at the same axial center position as the motor shaft has a tubular shape, and the base end portion of the pinion shaft is internally fitted into the output shaft to be in an overlapped state, while the outer side of the output shaft is
The clutch inner of the unidirectional rotating clutch is externally fitted and is in an overlapped state, and as a result, the pinion shaft, the tubular output shaft, and the unidirectional rotating clutch are three-layered shaft structure, and have a mutually overlapping structure. Therefore, the length in the axial direction of the starter device can be shortened as much as possible, and this and the fact that the diameter can be reduced in the radial direction can effectively reduce the weight and size of the starter device. .

In addition, in this axial shortening, a stopper that prevents the helical spline fitting from being pulled out is provided at the tip of the output shaft side tubular portion, and this stopper is arranged in the tubular groove portion formed on the pinion shaft side. Therefore, there is an advantage that it can further contribute to further miniaturization.

Furthermore, since the outer cylindrical portion that serves as the clutch inner that constitutes the one-way rotating clutch is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the collar-shaped portion formed in the middle portion of the pinion shaft by means of the serration coupling means, an irregular overrun occurs during engine instruction. Even if the pinion shaft bends or shakes due to a load or the like, this can be absorbed by the serration joint, and therefore, in the one-way rotation clutch, the misalignment between the clutch outer and the clutch inner is reduced, The operation of the one-way rotating clutch can be ensured and the durability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of a starter device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a partial sectional front view of the starter device,
FIG. 2 is a front view of an essential part showing a case of shifting, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a helical spline part, and FIG. 4 is a front view of an essential part of a starter device showing another example. In the figure, 1 is a housing, 2 is a motor part, 2a is a motor shaft, 3 is a magnet switch, 4 is a planetary speed reduction mechanism, and 4a.
Is a planetary gear, 5 is an output shaft, 6 is a pinion shaft, 6a is a collar portion, 7 and 7a are bearing metals, 8 is a center bracket,
9 is a one-way rotating clutch, 9a is a clutch outer, 9f
Is a clutch case, 11 is a bearing, 12 is a pinion gear,
Reference numeral 13 is a shift lever, and 14 is a ring gear.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Hagiwara, 2681 Hirosawa-cho, Kiryu-shi, Gunma Mitsuba Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-59-87275 (JP, A) JP Showa 60-198372 (JP, A) JP 59-77903 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pinion shaft having a tip end to which a pinion gear (12) is fixedly attached, which is supported by a housing (1) via a bearing member (10, 11) so as to be rotatable about its axis and axially movable. (6), a motor shaft (2a) arranged in a front-rear relationship so as to have the same axial center as the pinion shaft, an output shaft for transmitting power to the pinion shaft, with the pinion shaft side tip of the motor shaft serving as a sun gear A starter device comprising a planetary speed reduction mechanism (4) having a protruding (5), wherein the output shaft (5)
Is supported by a center bracket (8), which has a cylindrical shape and an outer peripheral surface supported by the housing (1), via a bearing (7a) so as to be rotatable about an axis, and the cylindrical output shaft (5) is supported by the cylindrical output shaft (5). The rear end of the pinion shaft (6) is fitted inside, and the bearing (7) is fitted to the cylindrical output shaft (5) so that the fitted pinion shaft is rotatable about its axis and slidable in the axial direction. And a tubular output shaft (5) so that the tubular output shaft (5) is fitted into the outer peripheral surface of the collar-shaped portion (6a) that extends in a collar shape from the intermediate portion of the pinion shaft (6). ) Is fixed by the serration connection, and the clutch outer outputs the one-way rotation clutch (9) that transmits the power from the output shaft (5) to the pinion shaft (6) only in the rotation direction driven by the motor unit. Helical spline fits on the outer circumference of the shaft side tubular part, and is provided at the tip of the tubular output shaft The helical spline fitting is prevented from coming off by a stopper, while the clutch inner is formed by the pinion shaft side outer cylinder portion (6b), and the output shaft is overlapped with the clutch inner side of the one-way rotating clutch. Starter device. 2. The cylindrical output shaft (5) according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical output shaft (5) is provided in a cylindrical groove formed between the outer cylindrical portion (6b) constituting the clutch inner and the outer peripheral surface of the pinion shaft (6). ) The starter device is characterized in that the tip end portion of () is deeply fitted. 3. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the motor shaft is extended and internally fitted in the tubular portion on the output shaft side, and the tip of the motor shaft is supported by the output shaft via a bearing. Starter device to do. 4. The roller according to claim 1, wherein the roller constituting the one-way rotating clutch and the clutch case for restricting the protrusion of the ammunition are extended to a collar-shaped portion to which the outer cylinder serving as the clutch inner is fitted in the serration. A starter device in which displacement of a one-way rotating clutch with respect to a pinion shaft in an axial direction is restricted.